Representing color gamuts in color charts

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for presenting color samples in a color chart. The color chart includes an arrangement of multiple color samples that include colored areas representing colors in a color space. Color samples in the arrangement are associated with one or more color identifiers that uniquely identify the colors represented by the corresponding color samples. A gamut identifier identifies a color gamut relative to the colors represented by the color samples in the arrangement. A gamut mapping is provided to map a color from outside the color gamut to a color inside the color gamut.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to printing and displaying colors.[0002]Typical printing and display devices can reproduce only a limited set of colors. The range of colors that can be faithfully reproduced by a particular display device or by a particular printing device on a particular printing medium is called a color gamut: the larger the gamut, the more colors can be reproduced. For example, glossy paper has a larger gamut than plain paper, because there are bright colors that can be printed on the glossy paper but not on the plain paper. Also, computer displays have typically larger color gamut than simple printers. To represent colors that are outside of the color gamut, a color device can use gamut mappings that map colors from outside to colors inside the gamut.[0003]Designers use color charts to select colors for designing materials. Color charts can be device dependent or device independent. Device dependent charts present color samples that...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]The invention can be implemented to realize one or more of the following advantages. Incorporating gamut identifiers into color charts gives designers a convenient way to see which colors can be faithfully reproduced by a device, and which colors will be adjusted by gamut mapping. If the gamut mapping rules are known, the designer can visually estimate what colors will look like after the mapping. By indicating different color gamuts in the chart, the same color chart can be used to select colors for reproduction by multiple devices or on different media. The colors of the samples can have an intuitive, user friendly reference system that uses color identifiers such as hue, darkness, and saturation. The reference system can be related to device independent colors, so there is no need to use a cross reference chart, e.g., to match colors on different devices, or to find relations between CMYK and solid spot colors. The device independent colors can be scientifically defined colors, such as L*a*b* colors.

Problems solved by technology

Also, computer displays have typically larger color gamut than simple printers.

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